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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28321587">Saenta Claus</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makira820/pseuds/Makira820'>Makira820</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cupboard Full of Pandas [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Body Image, Christmas, Cookies, Costumes, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:00:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28321587</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makira820/pseuds/Makira820</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Christmas time and the Niijimas are due for a visit from the jolly red man himself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cupboard Full of Pandas [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561558</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Saenta Claus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>December 2032</b>
  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sae sighed to herself as she sat in front of her bedroom vanity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>'I look ridiculous…'</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How, you ask? How could Sae Niijima—a woman renowned for the head-turning beauty that accompanied her fierce nature in any work environment—ever possibly fulfill any description of the word </span>
  <em>
    <span>"ridiculous"</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By wearing a Santa Claus costume, of course. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It all started several weeks ago. Sae </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought </span>
  </em>
  <span>Makoto simply wanted to get lunch together when she asked the older sister over to their apartment. Well, technically they did get lunch afterwards, but that wasn't the point. The main reason was that Makoto wanted to ask her sister to do something extra special for her kids this Christmas. When asked for further details, Makoto simply pulled out the costume.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"...It's because I'm overweight, isn't it?" Sae asked after a long pause.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If ever a sigh could sound more tired than the definition entailed, Makoto's certainly could. "Sis, for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>millionth</span>
  </em>
  <span> time, you're not fat."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As always, Sae ignored the reassurance. She knew her body. It was more plump than it used to be in areas she wished it wasn't. She still exercised regularly, but no matter what she did, she couldn't get back down to her old dress size. Family meals were the likely culprit, but she just couldn't cut those out of her life with her sister and brother-in-law being so accepting of her at their table. Actually, the more she thought about it, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> Akira's fault. Him and his damn good cooking...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Who's idea was it then? Your's? Or Akira's?" she asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto took a moment to contemplate her answer very carefully. "...Akira's," she answered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course it is," Sae noted with a roll of her eyes. "It's a backhanded fat joke at my expense. Why am I not surprised?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now Makoto was sitting down and rubbing her temples. "Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>honestly </span>
  </em>
  <span>think Akira would insult your weight? His own boss? Truly?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It did seem rather self-destructive on his part. But then, Sae had long since grown accustomed to throwing logic to the wind when it came to him and his antics.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto stood to her feet, costume in hand. "Look, if you don't want to do it, I won't force you. But if you did do it, I know it would make this year memorable for Tae and Soji. And I don't think Tae has many believer years left in her, though. So it's now or never."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae wanted to say "no". Every fiber of her being wanted to keep that hideously bright and cheery </span>
  <em>
    <span>monstrosity </span>
  </em>
  <span>away from her body. Her pride just could not allow her to make a fool of herself by pretending to be Santa Claus. And yet…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ugh, I can't believe I'm doing this…" Sae groaned as she looked into the mirror.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A week before Christmas, the agreed date. After all, it wouldn't make sense for Santa to swing by the Niijima residence the same day he'd have to deliver toys to all the other brats and boogers around the world. Oh, scratch that. She wasn't Santa, but instead "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Saenta</span>
  </em>
  <span>", as Makoto put it. A pun using her name was the perfect cherry on top of this humiliation sundae. She was certain their father was rolling in his grave at this one. So too would Akira if Sae had her way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stood up to admire, or rather, </span>
  <em>
    <span>loathe </span>
  </em>
  <span>her handiwork. Stuck to her face was a scratchy, prosthetic beard that luckily matched her hair well enough to forgo a wig. Below that was the typical red and white coat with matching pants that had more color than her entire wardrobe combined. But that wasn't the main zeal of the outfit. Beneath the actual clothes was this bulbous, sort of vest-like padding to give the illusion of Santa's round belly. Sae had thought it to be made of foam or beads or something, but instead it was like some sort of gel substance that actually felt like human fat. And it was actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>heavy. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She dare not ask what this level of detail cost them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course all of this was for naught if she couldn't mask her voice as well. Surely the eyes were a hard enough sell, but explaining why Santa also sounds so familiar to the kids would just give it away. She had to sound like a man, but not just any sort of man, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>jolly </span>
  </em>
  <span>man. Jolly-ish, at least.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"...Ho...Hooo…No, that's not it," she said whilst looking into the mirror. She cleared her throat and inhaled deeply, summoning forth a more breathy voice. "HO! Ho, ho...hooo…" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There just wasn't any heart in it. She feared as much. Akira could do it, or even Makoto, but her? Put on a Santa costume and pretend to be some cheery, mythological, fat man in a way that entertains children? There was no way this could work.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae leaned back into her chair, disappointed in her own stiff self for not being up to the task. Perhaps it was best that she cancelled the arrangement. It was last minute, but she was sure Akira would find a way to make up for it. She could only hope that Makoto wouldn't be more disappointed than she was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she reached for her phone, she nearly bumped a picture frame off the vanity. Luckily she caught it before it could tip over the edge. But as she was about to set the photograph back down, she took a moment to recall the memory captured within.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was taken earlier this year, on the night of her 41st birthday. She sat at the dining table in her apartment; her sister, brother-in-law and niece surrounding her while she held her nephew in her lap. In front of them were two plates holding one slice of birthday cake each, but only one had a bite taken out of it. Or rather, an attempted bite. Soji had accidentally missed his mouth by a considerable margin and instead flung the entire fork full of cake directly into his aunt's face right above his own. Makoto and Akira fell silent, awaiting an outburst that would never come while Tae laughed her little ass off at her brother's oopsie whoopsie. Sae wasn't angry though, just surprised.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before Makoto could fetch a napkin, Sae returned the favor and surprised everyone in the room by leaning down and giving her nephew a big kiss with her cake covered face. Not wanting to miss a once in a lifetime photoshoot, Akira quickly pulled out his phone and cued the rest of family to gather around the cake covered duo and took the picture she now had framed in her bedroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Why did she have it framed? An excellent question she often asked herself. Yet only now did she suddenly find herself on the cusp of the answer: Aunt Sae was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Deep down, she had grown to be as much of a dork as everyone else in this family. No one judged or ridiculed her for this silly display even once in the six months since. They loved her for it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Putting her phone back, she turned her attention back to the bearded woman in the mirror.</span>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Knock! Knock!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just a minute!" Makoto's muffled voice rang.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The front door of the Niijima residence swung open. Inside stood Makoto, wearing a bright and frankly </span>
  <em>
    <span>hideous </span>
  </em>
  <span>red and green sweater with a holiday themed panda in the center. Outside of course, stood a "surprise" visitor from the North Pole.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto feigned a surprised gasp. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Santa Claus</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Is that </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" she asked in a purposely raised voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"WHAT?!" a different voice shrieked from the living room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rapid sound of tiny feet on hardwood followed soon after, growing louder until the little 8-year-old came sprinting up behind her mother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Santa???" Tae asked in disbelief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae had been informed of Tae's skepticism growing by the day. They weren't quite sure if she still believed in Santa, just that she had been questioning things more and more lately. It was to be expected at this age, of course. But as any doting parents, they wanted to delay that loss of whimsical ignorance as long as possible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So basically Sae </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>had to nail this performance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ho ho! Is that young Tae I see?" she asked in her deepest voice possible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Judging by the girl's bewildered eyes, she had passed the first test of the evening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Y-You know me?" Tae asked, astounded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Of course," Saenta said, a smirk hidden beneath her beard. "I see your name jump between the naughty and nice list </span>
  <em>
    <span>alllllll </span>
  </em>
  <span>the time..." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"B-But…! I was good this year!" Tae argued. "I swear!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saenta looked up to her mother, who tilted her hand sideways in a "so-so" manner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Much more quietly than his older sister, Soji approached from behind. He clung to his mother's leg as he shyly poked his head out to see the mysterious stranger at the door. Saenta took notice of him and crouched down to greet him more gently.</span>
</p>
<p><span>"Oh ho, there's the sweet little Soji. Now </span><em><span>you</span></em><span> I'm certain have</span> <span>been very good this year."</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Soji hid behind his mother, prompting an understanding smile from both women. A bit timid for a 3-year-old perhaps, but definitely not a single naughty bone in his growing body. He was just a little sweetheart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm sure you're both curious as to why Santa is here, but it's too chilly to be talking at the door," Makoto said. "Go see if daddy needs help with the cookies while I show Santa inside."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soji did as told, with Tae reluctantly following soon after. Saenta attempted to follow, but soon found herself tightly wrapped by loving arms as soon as she took her boots off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>much..." Makoto whispered in her ear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly this didn't feel like much of a sacrifice for her to make. Sae could tell by how hard she was being squeezed that this meant the world to her sister. She didn't say anything, mostly out of fear of losing the voice she tried so hard to pin down, so instead she just squeezed back for all she was worth. Makoto got the message.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon entering the main living area of the apartment, Sae got her first view of their decorations this year. Akira had always gone over the top for Christmas, but this year? Good lord. It was like Kringle himself vehemently vomited garland and ornaments and the like all over their walls. She couldn't look in any direction without being reminded that it was Christmas time. Not that one could see much of their living room with that gigantic artificial tree standing where their coffee table used to be. It was both horridly holly and jolly—</span>
  <em>
    <span>disgusting.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, but the smell? That was something Sae was loving every second of. From the kitchen wafted the tantalising aroma of freshly baked cookies. She usually wasn't one for sweets, but if it came out of Akira's kitchen then one could be damn sure it was delicious. She could feel her stomach rumble in anticipation through her vest of mystery gel as she eyed the tray Akira was removing from the oven.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I wanna give Santa my cookies first!" Tae announced as she jumped up and down beside her father.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"They gotta cool off first, sweetheart," Akira chuckled. "Maybe you should cool your jets so they will."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tae gave her father a pouty face. Soji on the other hand, took the hint much more conveniently and returned to his mommy's side opposite of the strange, red man. Makoto leaned down and picked the boy up, wrapping one arm around his bottom while the other brushed his hair out of his face so she could kiss his little forehead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, Tae," she said while showering her other baby in affection. "If you'd rather stare at hot cookies instead of telling </span>
  <em>
    <span>Santa</span>
  </em>
  <span> what you want for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Christmas</span>
  </em>
  <span>, then by all means."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tae never cleared the distance between the kitchen and living room so fast. It was a good thing they moved some things around or else she probably would've hit her head on the dining table (again). After a swift leap over the armrest of the sofa, she looked back to mommy and Saenta with her very best, albeit fake, "good girl" smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto sighed as she sat down next to the eager girl along with her son. On the reclining chair adjacent to the sofa sat Saenta. Ironically, that was usually where Sae chose to sit, as she was not one for passively snuggling with others on the sectional. Perhaps doubly ironic was that she was to actually share the chair this time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright, who wants to go first?" Makoto asked her children.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unsurprisingly, Tae's was the hand risen extra high above her head while Soji's found themselves better occupied by holding mommy's arm. The difference between their behavior was truly night and day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay then, that answers that. Tae, you're up first."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her feet hardly touched the carpet as Tae stood up and promptly jumped straight onto Saenta's lap. Saenta groaned in discomfort at the sudden extra weight. The vest was bad enough and Tae jumping on her just doubled the load.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ho, ho…" Saenta meekly sighed. "I see you've been well fed this year…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mhm! I eat all my veggies!" Tae bragged as if she needed last minute brownie points.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae would've rolled her eyes if her niece weren't staring directly into them. "Well, that's certainly behavior belonging to what we usually call a good kid. So tell me, what would you like for Christmas this year?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tae hardly waited until she finished the sentence. "I want a phone, I want a TV in my room, I want a Nintend-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay, let's back up a little," Saenta interrupted. "First off, how much money do you think I make?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"...Huh?" Tae asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Realistically, how much money do you think I make from this </span>
  <em>
    <span>non-profit</span>
  </em>
  <span> arrangement of giving out toys every year? I'll give you a moment."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tae was a smart girl, smart enough to get into all kinds of trouble at this age. She knew "profit" meant "to gain", and "non" right in front of that meant the opposite, so…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No money?" Tae asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's right," said Saenta. "I don't see a single yen in return. And do you know how much all of the items you want cost?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Lots of money?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Right again. So how could I possibly obtain all of these things for you, on top of already getting things for all the other children?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You...can't…?" Tae asked in disbelief. "B-But…you're </span>
  <em>
    <span>Santa</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Even Santa has his limits, little one. I'd be happy to get you something a little more in the out-of-pocket price range."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae looked over to Makoto, who surprisingly enough had yet to object to this reality check approach of hers. How quickly plans go out the window when you find out your daughter's wish list encroached a hundred thousand yen price point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Can I get a bike?" Tae requested instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto nodded to her sister.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ho ho! I think that is definitely possible, young lady," Saenta said. "You just make sure you stay on that nice list, alright?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay…?" Tae much less enthusiastically slid off Saenta's lap, a look of skepticism displayed in her brows as she made her way back to the kitchen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now it was Soji's turn to sit on a stranger's lap and tell them what he wants for Christmas. That was the idea, at least. Try as she might, Makoto just couldn't coax the child into going anywhere near their strange, red guest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Honey, it's okay. Santa won't hurt you," Makoto reassured him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soji responded by burying his face in the space between her arm and the sofa where he let out a semi-audible "uh-uh" response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Makoto gave her sister an apologetic look, to which Sae merely gave an understanding wave of her gloved hand. She would've felt offended that her nephew saw her as scary, but she'd probably feel just as repelled by her presence if she was in his shoes. It wasn't anyone's fault really. This suit was indeed…</span>
  <em>
    <span>ugh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But at least now she could take it off even sooner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey!" Tae called from the kitchen, right on cue. "Aun-...Santa! The cookies are done!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course any visit from Santa Claus would be incomplete without the big man indulging in a few cookies of varying quality. Though if he truly did exist, he'd surely be looking forward to the cookies baked in the Niijima residence most of all. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Saenta</span>
  </em>
  <span> certainly did. Mostly because she knew Akira made the dough, but also because she knew that her niece and nephew had spent the better part of the day making them with mommy and daddy for the explicit purpose of leaving them for Santa next week. If that didn't melt her ice cold heart then nothing could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae allowed a small degree of visible eagerness seep through as she awaited the cookies at the dining table. After all, she was right—Santa received nothing in return for his services. Nothing except for cookies, that is. Any enthusiasm she showed towards her brother-in-law's cooking would just be chalked up to her staying in character. 'Twas a rather convenient excuse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon! It'll get cold!" Tae said to her father.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In his hands, a festive platter holding a single chosen cookie of Tae's creation, as well as a glass of milk. Sae couldn't tell why, but he was smirking down at the plate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't worry, sweetheart. A cookie this </span>
  <em>
    <span>thick </span>
  </em>
  <span>would take a while to get cold," he said, hardly able to keep from snickering. The amusement he found in his comment became clear to Sae as he set the plate down in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two perfectly shaped and equally sized mounds of golden brown cookie. They were pressed together until only a shallow crevice separated them, as if it were meant to look like a…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's a butt!" Tae gleefully confirmed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because </span>
  <em>
    <span>of course </span>
  </em>
  <span>it was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saenta shot her father an unamused glance, who on the contrary looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>amused if the fist covering his mouth and his rugged breathing was anything to go by. They both knew that she couldn't very well refuse to eat this butt cookie that her niece poured her heart and soul into. That's why he was so tickled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why…" Saenta said, lingering on the double meaning. "...thank you, Tae. This...This looks very...</span>
  <em>
    <span>tasty</span>
  </em>
  <span>…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saenta brought the butt cookie to her mouth, hesitating for only a moment before sinking her teeth into the left "cheek." Though the outside suggested it was a plain sugar cookie, the inside was actually filled with a rich, dark chocolate filling. Her favorite, though the symbolism was something she could do without. She could confidently say it was the best ass she'd ever eaten, but as she rightly presumed, Akira was the only person in the family who would know the difference.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mmm, now that is one good cookie," she said, leaning in to take another bite. She had to eat the </span>
  <em>
    <span>whole </span>
  </em>
  <span>thing and leave a few crumbs on the plate, as she'd researched.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But before she could, Tae wrapped her arms around her enlarged waist and gave her a big hug. "Thanks...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Aunt Sae</span>
  </em>
  <span>," she whispered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At first Sae thought Akira had told her, yet her fiercest glare could only get a shrug out of him. No, Tae had figured it out on her own, the clever girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"...Don't tell your brother," Sae whispered in her normal voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tae said nothing as she took the butt cookie off her plate and took a big bite of the right "cheek." A wry smile spread across her face before she returned to the kitchen for even more cookies.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Bribery, I take it?" Sae asked Akira once they were alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hmmm, more like 'baby's first blackmail.' Like mother, like daughter I suppose," he joked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akira took her plate back to the kitchen, while Makoto brought another plate along with Soji. Their cookies required a bit more cosmetic preparation. Sae didn't care either way, so long as it didn't resemble a posterior.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No, these cookies were </span>
  <em>
    <span>much </span>
  </em>
  <span>more adorable. Like the others before, these were sugar cookies. But instead of having the chocolate inside, it was used as decoration on the outside to recreate the all too familiar face of Buchimaru-kun. A bit misshapen perhaps, but there was no mistaking what the Buchimaru lovers in the family were going for.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Soji?" Makoto asked in a motherly tone. "Can you tell Santa who that is?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's...Bu-Buchi-kun…" he said, still partially hiding behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae never thought she'd swoon over anyone, but her nephew was certainly testing that theory. For the only thing more adorable than these cookies was the little chef who made them. Before she could even take a bite, she felt a light tug of her red coat. It was Soji, wearing his bravest face as he stepped away from his mother to stand next to Saenta for the first time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I...I want...Buchi…" he quietly muttered. "For Christmas…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By now Makoto was crying, her hands covering her mouth to keep them from hugging her little boy. Sae was nearly in the same state, but she had a better idea than just a simple hug. She picked up Soji and sat him down on her lap. Taking a single cookie, she snapped it in half to be shared with her darling nephew.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I think we can make that happen," Saenta said. She had it on good authority that Buchimaru-kun would be seen under the tree come Christmas morning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After the cookies, the time finally came for Santa to depart. But Santa couldn't simply just walk out the door, get in his car that looked an awful lot like Aunt Sae's, and drive away. No, no, no. Santa had to mysteriously </span>
  <em>
    <span>vanish</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Luckily, Makoto and Akira had a plan to achieve such a perception.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright, who wants to help me put ornaments on the tree?" Makoto asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soji was quick to join his mother, with Tae following soon after with some quiet persuasion from her father. Once both kids' heads were turned away from the dining room, Akira pulled a duffle bag out of the cupboard and handed it to Saenta.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What's this?" she asked, completely unaware.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Clothes. Normal clothes," he said. "I'll go open the front door and pretend you just got here after you're done changing. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Poof</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Santa magically disappeared."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae scoffed. "Really thought of everything, didn't you? Even got Makoto well involved in your big scheme."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Actually, the whole thing was her idea. All I did was make the cookie dough," he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Wait, wh-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before she could finish, he ushered her into the bathroom and closed the door behind him so it looked as if he had just come out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae stood there alone, dumbfounded as she stared into the mirror. This was all </span>
  <em>
    <span>Makoto's</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing? In hindsight it wasn't too unbelievable. There were no lengths she wouldn't go to to make her children happy. Still, why all the scheming? No matter, what's done is done. At least now she could finally get out of this fat suit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One by one, she removed every piece of the costume until only the vest and her underwear remained. Reaching behind, she undid the single clasp that held it and place and relished as it hit the floor with a deafened thud. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sweet release.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It felt unfathomably pleasant to finally be thin again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thin.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was the exact word that sprung to mind. The word she just subconsciously decided to use to describe her own body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>'What…? No, I'm not...' </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She turned sideways and looked herself over in the mirror, namely at her waist and buttocks. Certainly more plump than she used to be, but not </span>
  <em>
    <span>nearly </span>
  </em>
  <span>as round as that suit made her appear to be. She held up the fat suit to her body, then pulled it away, then back again as the dots finally began to connect. For years, she'd been comparing her body to her younger, skinnier self. Never once did she have something on the opposite end of the spectrum to compare it to until now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because of this suit...that </span>
  <em>
    <span>Makoto </span>
  </em>
  <span>made her wear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A slight curve of her lips formed as she realized the true intent of the costume. She suddenly felt a strong desire to go hug her sister. But she couldn't very well do it undressed like this, obviously. She opened the duffle to pull out a black pair of jeans and matching black t-shirt. Simple, yet thankfully much more suited to her taste in hue than that bright red suit. But then she found...</span>
  <em>
    <span>it.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sae sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course</span>
  </em>
  <span> Makoto found a matching set of hideous, adult-sized, panda themed sweaters. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She emerged from the bathroom a moment later, bag in hand as she silently signaled to her brother-in-law. He took the bag and hid it back in the cupboard, then hurried to the front door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, hey! Aunt Sae is here!" he announced in a raised voice as he opened and closed the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unlike the first time, Soji was the first to come running to the door to greet his aunt. Unsurprising, since he was the only child under the impression that she just got here. His mother followed soon after.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh hey, sis. What took you so long? You missed Santa," she said with a wink.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No I didn't. I passed him in the hall," Sae corrected her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soji gasped. "You saw him?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's right," she said, smiling down at the boy. "He said he had to go now, but he'll be back next year."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"...R-Really?" Makoto asked, genuinely surprised.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sae leaned in and wrapped her arms around her sister, their ugly sweaters melding into one big red and green blob.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Merry Christmas, little sis."</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>🎅🐼MERRY CHRISTMAS🐼🎅</p>
<p>This pun has been in my brain for the last 6 months and I finally found a way to milk it for all it's worth. Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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